Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-view video streaming system and a method of providing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-view video streaming system able to provide a charging method suitable for multi-view videos and a method of providing the same.
Description of Related Art
In response to the emergence of the digital age, a variety of multimedia technologies are rapidly developing, and the digital content market based on such multimedia technologies is growing remarkably. Along with this trend, interest for realistic media in the digital video field is also increasing. Recently, studies are actively underway for multi-view videos, one type of realistic media.
A typical multi-view video system takes a multi-view video of a single scene using multi-view cameras, and encodes the taken multi-view video for the purpose of efficient transmission of the taken images. At a receiving terminal, the multi-view images are decoded from the transmitted compressed bit stream, and a variety of application services are provided using the decoded multi-view images on the request from the audience.
FIG. 1 illustrates a multi-view video streaming system of the related art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the multi-view video streaming system of the related art, a multi-view video file 31 is created by encoding/multiplexing individual multi-view images taken by a plurality of cameras 10. A multi-view video streaming server 30 can stream the created multi-view video file 31 to a user terminal 40. A multi-view image decoder 41 included in the user terminal 40 can divide the multi-view video stream into individual-view video streams through demultiplexing/decoding. A view selector selects a single individual-view video stream desired by the user and outputs the selected individual-view video stream to a display device 50.
In response to the active studies on multi-view videos and the increasing multi-view video market as described above, desires to yield profit using multi-view videos are increasing as time goes on. Therefore, a charging method suitable for multi-view videos is earnestly required.